The concept of "Ubuntu" is much wider that the identity of personhood but is derived from it. It claims that there is a humanness essence attached to every individual in that the person (umuntu [singular] is the bases of the shared humanness (ubuntu) but the relation is complementary in that the individual also benefits from being in community with others. By linking the individual to humanity, the highest value is then attached to humanness, it is the end goal of personhood: Ubuntu is therefore a core identity of all human beings which separates them from other non-beings, as such: (1) It can never be derogated (it resembles some form of Kantian dignity; (2) this inert value guides action and reason, (reasonable and justified conduct is in line with ubuntu, bad and evil conduct is against ubuntu). Ubuntu does not deprive individualism as the individual is a necessary element for ubuntu to exist in the first place, however, the individual is not a separate entity but is inextricable connected to the other persons such that when he or she becomes detached from humanity, he or she loses his or her essence. As a side comment, the relationship between an individual and a community in African thinking is quite complex, its closest analogy is the Biblical assertion "Love your neighbour as you love yourself".
Analyzing Ubuntu Philosophy Ubuntu= “Humanity” A person is a person through other people 1:50 Roadmap for the video (1) *Theory by Personal Identity* (2:46) + A consistent narrative of you + You are defined in your relations to others (2) *Theory by Rational Choice* (8:12) 8:55 Defining ourselves in relation to others makes us consider what others have 10:30 To Be Human, act humanely (3) *Theory by Justice* (13:12) 1. _Revenge_ against our oppressor + Justice(?) - Ruining/Tainting your Humanity (?) - Creates a negative cycle 2. _Restoration_ 16:24 Nelson Mandela 18:44 Heal the pain 18:56 Next Up
What's interesting is that in psychology we have a concept called "the looking glass self" which is when we develop our identity by interacting with other people. An example of this is a child does something and people laugh, giving the child positive attention, so the child learns they are funny. Being funny becomes a part of that child's identity. We also see with brain damage cases or memory loss cases family will sometimes say "you aren't the same person." In social psychology, about half of who you are is defined by other people. The other half is internal. However, philosophically, the west has traditionally used internal narratives to define identity because we live in an individualist society. Maybe this philosophy solves some problems.
To start your journey of please look the works Cheikh Anti Diop, Theophile Obenga, Neter Neb RUclips channel , review the ASCAC (Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations) to give a more to your path of study.
Heard this word coming out of a dream. I've never heard the word Ubuntu before. Didn't think it meant anything, just thought it was someone's name or an African tribe. Typed it into my searcher engine found this site and found you. Can you please give me your input on it.
Interesting video. It seems to me that the main problem with Ubuntu (as presented here) is the difficulty of finding a compelling reason that one should be "human" (rather than "non-human"), without being circular or referring to another moral theory.
Sorry to reply 3 years late, not expecting a reply I guess, but I would wonder if a compelling reason would simply be the health of the psyche - to constantly try to defy one’s nature and their own human emotional needs (that presumably cannot be changed) would probably leave someone broken and suffering, struggling against something that they can never escape. At that point, it’d be hard to see the use in forcing yourself to be “non-human”, when practically speaking it may not add to happiness/health and potentially even detract from it. And if it’s related to connection with others as argued here, most people probably are bound to a desire to connect with others on some level, with very few being an exception to that. So if they want to be happy, they are obligated to fulfill that desire to some extent.
Ubuntu present in many ways. As opposed to radical individualism, it can be a radical selflessness. I become me through you. We emerge from human beings don't we? So how are we separate? We are humanised by human beings aren't we? It's the philosophy that explains "no man is an island".
Many of these ideas seem very familiar. The arguments for restorative justice and the conceptualization of identity and rationality as being inseparable from one's relation to other people sound like things I have heard many times before. This makes me ask a question: is this because Ubuntu philosophy is the primary source of these ideas, and Ubuntu has actually gained significant traction in the US? Or are these ideas that have been independently created and disseminated throughout the US's sphere of thought - ideas that just so happen to replicate Ubuntu thought?
as someone living in South Africa, I can tell you now that this is not just a theory amongst Africans, it is actually a way of life, it has been diluted with the arrival of non-africans as things gradually change but even the teachings of black cultures and traditions always promote ubuntu
I have no real knowledge of Ubuntu or of Native American philosophies, but maybe they share some similarities? Nhlanhla Ngcobo's explanation is probably more straightforward.
It's probably both. Western thought beings with Greece and the Greeks learned in Africa. It's possible to forget where you learned something, yet build on it. I can say one thing though: African philosophy was being engaged long before European literacy came online in the 8th century bc
@@CarneadesOfCyrene I guess the issue is what about the philosophy we have been learning so far? Why hasn't that been consider ethnophilosophy? Considering all of western thought is literally based on European thinkers only. Why is it considered ethnophilosophy and not just philosophy?
Excellent point 💯 it seems rather contradictory to single out other Non-European groups as ethno philosophical rather than include Europe's own ethnic groups as their own ethno philosophies. @@_VISION.
An african child said : If it s not good for all uf us, it s not good ! We should learn from this child. The white society is far behind, as an Elbow Society.
I have a question. In Ubuntu philosophy is there freedom or individual rights? Or are people forced to help on another. Basically what I'm asking is this. Is Ubuntu a community philosophy or a communal philosophy?
An interesting question. As noted, there are many different definitions of Ubuntu. I doubt many would say that there is no place for individual rights, or some amount of individual freedom, that said, I expect many would be supportive of the idea that you have moral responsibilities towards a community. Being a person through other people can often be interpreted as a responsibility towards one's own community, something similar to at least civic nationalism (ruclips.net/video/0cam6HaoFaQ/видео.html).
Your exploration of Ubuntu is interesting, although you stated at the beginning of the series that you don't intend to be exhaustive. I would suggest a couple of things: first, looking at the etymology of the term UBuntu so as to nuance it's philosophical thrust. Additionally, closely intertwined with uBuntu is Hunhu/Unhu philosophy, which potentially feeds into the dynamic nature of uBuntu philosophy and vice-versa.
I AM because YOU are... Having been born & grown up in Southern & Northern Rhodesia, I can honestly say that as a tiny "picanin" I experienced the most wonderful caring & nurturing attitude of the indigeny...Shona, Swahili, Ndabele, Zambians, Mozambicans, et al... SO wish I'd learnt the language - my dad & brother did but it was more fanagalo than pure... Oh but the marvelous memories as a child... halcyon days of fun in the best part of Africa ...
@@eaterjolly After more thought on this, the first important fact is that no human can exist without parents. So this is a "dependency" of the sort mentioned here. Further, yes, during childhood, the social aspect is important, at least with parents and extended family, and optionally on a wider basis. My point is that this should not be taken too far, with thoughts like, "it takes a village to raise a child". Or the implication that as an adult you need to be around other people, or rely on them, to be human. So I grant that you cannot be human without other humans at first, individuality comes as part of growing up. At that point, choosing to collaborate can be very beneficial, but it is not required and there is no dependence that is necessary.
@@konberner170. when looking at the theory of Ubuntu, remember Africans lived in a somewhat communal society and family orientated, within a village everyone is regarded as being close to you and has an involvement in your growth and development as a person directly or indirectly. people teach other people how to live and be part of the society, the term of Ubuntu and it takes a village to raise a child, you can understand it better when you look at it in that it means, "we are all cogs of the same machine". your individuality is not taken away but you must understand at the same time that humans are essentially interconnected directly or indirectly to each other. A lone human will barely survive without other humans, just like a lion not part of the pride will barely make it alone
@@nhlanhlangcobo7770 I grew up in a large city in the US. I have now lived in a small village in Asia for many years. I agree that, given the realities of village life, especially in low technology settings, your point makes perfect sense. However, the fact that this philosophy is so contextual can be seen as a kind of weakness.
@@eaterjolly Quantity of personality? Doesn't seem coherent to me. I am not a person only through other people, I am also a person through myself. The set of perceptions of myself to other humans, plus the perceptions of myself, also doesn't exhaust perceptions of me, e.g. there are animals that also perceive me to start with. The tautology might be true: "the total of perceptions of me are the totality of perceptions of me as a person".
I think the difference is ontological. Contractualism is still based on individuals and their contractual relation with the collective. Ubuntu doesn't see such a strong distinction _between_ the individual and the collective. The grounding of which is the primary unit is different. For contractualism, it's the individual. For ubuntu, it's the group.
80% explained here is wrong and is presented in the colonial point of view and is miss lending information for students. please use the right books to explain this. Thank You
What do you think is incorrect here? As the video notes, there is disagreement as to the exact meaning of this position, but the central points I present here track with every major philosophical source on the topic. Here's The Oxford Encyclopedia Of African Thought: "Ubuntu is a southern Bantu word meaning "humanity or humanness...The concept is linked with an oft-cited Zulu-Xhosa aphorism, umntu ngumntu ngabantu- "A person is a person through other people"...South Africa's successful transition to a democratic state, including the process of reconciliation epitomized by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been attributed to ubuntu..." Edited by F. Abiola Irele and Biodun Jeyifo Here's the SEP: "A crucial factor conditioning the transformation has been the soul-wrenching work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which sponsored public hearings during which victims of the evils of apartheid, and perpetrators of the evils, disclosed the truths of their suffering and of their dehumanizing aggression, respectively. Grounding premises of the TRC project were that disclosures of the truths of suffering and of abuse were necessary in order to achieve restorative justice, not just compensatory or retributive justice; and that restorative justice is in keeping with philosophical notions such as ubuntu-love, generosity, forgiveness-that are foundational to communal life at its best, thus are essential to the rehabilitative healing that must be lived through in forging new persons for a new and democratic South Africa" by Lucius Outlaw Here's A Companion to African Philosophy (Blackwell) "Ubuntu in this sense expresses an understanding - a societal bond - and forms the basis for consensus. Fundamental to African political philosophy and ontology is the view that an individual is not a human being except as he or she constitutes part of a social order. The is a conception of the self as intrincially linked to and forming a part of, the community. In the communal orientation the self is dependent on other selves and is definited through its relationships to other selves. This dependency is epitomized by the expression: "Motho ke motho ka batho ba bang" (Sotho) or "umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu (Xhosa, Zulu) meaning, respectively "a person is a person through other persones," "I am because we are." by Mabogo P. More, Edited by Kwasi Wiredu.
I will give you this version of ontological argument. 1 MGB is not logical incoherrent 2 If MGB is logical then MGB exists in every possible world 3 If MGB exists in every possible world then he exist in the actuall world 4 if MGB exists in the actuall wold then MGB exist 5 God exist.
I think that might be racist, no? Or do you also think that it doesn't sound right for a black English person to sing the national anthem, or an Indian to practice Kung Fu? Should I stop eating Dim Sum and stop Chinese people eating McDonalds?
You HAVE TO LEARN how to maximize/compress/red line/normalize your audio. You are putting your time into videos NO ONE will watch because they're hard to hear. The software is free or cheap. :)
As I understood it, you don't have to care about your environment in order for them to make you who you are. They still have an effect on you even if you have no empathy.
The concept of "Ubuntu" is much wider that the identity of personhood but is derived from it. It claims that there is a humanness essence attached to every individual in that the person (umuntu [singular] is the bases of the shared humanness (ubuntu) but the relation is complementary in that the individual also benefits from being in community with others. By linking the individual to humanity, the highest value is then attached to humanness, it is the end goal of personhood: Ubuntu is therefore a core identity of all human beings which separates them from other non-beings, as such: (1) It can never be derogated (it resembles some form of Kantian dignity; (2) this inert value guides action and reason, (reasonable and justified conduct is in line with ubuntu, bad and evil conduct is against ubuntu). Ubuntu does not deprive individualism as the individual is a necessary element for ubuntu to exist in the first place, however, the individual is not a separate entity but is inextricable connected to the other persons such that when he or she becomes detached from humanity, he or she loses his or her essence.
As a side comment, the relationship between an individual and a community in African thinking is quite complex, its closest analogy is the Biblical assertion "Love your neighbour as you love yourself".
Analyzing Ubuntu Philosophy
Ubuntu= “Humanity”
A person is a person through other people
1:50 Roadmap for the video
(1) *Theory by Personal Identity* (2:46)
+ A consistent narrative of you
+ You are defined in your relations to others
(2) *Theory by Rational Choice* (8:12)
8:55 Defining ourselves in relation to others makes us consider what others have
10:30 To Be Human, act humanely
(3) *Theory by Justice* (13:12)
1. _Revenge_ against our oppressor
+ Justice(?)
- Ruining/Tainting your Humanity (?)
- Creates a negative cycle
2. _Restoration_
16:24 Nelson Mandela
18:44 Heal the pain
18:56 Next Up
Thank you for the time-stamped outline
In my mother tongue (Kirundi), Ubuntu means "dignity" or "grace" or "favor" depending on the context of its use.
What's interesting is that in psychology we have a concept called "the looking glass self" which is when we develop our identity by interacting with other people. An example of this is a child does something and people laugh, giving the child positive attention, so the child learns they are funny. Being funny becomes a part of that child's identity.
We also see with brain damage cases or memory loss cases family will sometimes say "you aren't the same person." In social psychology, about half of who you are is defined by other people. The other half is internal.
However, philosophically, the west has traditionally used internal narratives to define identity because we live in an individualist society. Maybe this philosophy solves some problems.
To start your journey of please look the works Cheikh Anti Diop, Theophile Obenga, Neter Neb RUclips channel , review the ASCAC (Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations) to give a more to your path of study.
Ubuntu is deeper than your explanation but nice try.
Heard this word coming out of a dream. I've never heard the word Ubuntu before. Didn't think it meant anything, just thought it was someone's name or an African tribe. Typed it into my searcher engine found this site and found you. Can you please give me your input on it.
$25K/24K is better than $240K/250K assuming everything else constant; a decrease in the total money stock increases a dollar's value.
Exactly. He should have used a commodity instead of money itself in that example and it would have made more sense.
Interesting video. It seems to me that the main problem with Ubuntu (as presented here) is the difficulty of finding a compelling reason that one should be "human" (rather than "non-human"), without being circular or referring to another moral theory.
If youre operating within your highest good to the best of your capabilities, your growth helps others as well. Which avoids the cycle you speak of
Sorry to reply 3 years late, not expecting a reply I guess, but I would wonder if a compelling reason would simply be the health of the psyche - to constantly try to defy one’s nature and their own human emotional needs (that presumably cannot be changed) would probably leave someone broken and suffering, struggling against something that they can never escape. At that point, it’d be hard to see the use in forcing yourself to be “non-human”, when practically speaking it may not add to happiness/health and potentially even detract from it. And if it’s related to connection with others as argued here, most people probably are bound to a desire to connect with others on some level, with very few being an exception to that. So if they want to be happy, they are obligated to fulfill that desire to some extent.
Every philosophy has this problem. Literally every single one. It really doesn't matter.
Rationality + Empathy = Ubuntu?
Rise up my fellow Afrikan people! Jah love!
Um... I guess you have confused the playlists, this video is in the Doubting Philosophical Distinctions playlist
definitely a part of this video.
Ubuntu present in many ways. As opposed to radical individualism, it can be a radical selflessness. I become me through you. We emerge from human beings don't we? So how are we separate? We are humanised by human beings aren't we? It's the philosophy that explains "no man is an island".
How does Ubuntu Justice apply to the Nuremberg Trials?
Many of these ideas seem very familiar. The arguments for restorative justice and the conceptualization of identity and rationality as being inseparable from one's relation to other people sound like things I have heard many times before. This makes me ask a question: is this because Ubuntu philosophy is the primary source of these ideas, and Ubuntu has actually gained significant traction in the US? Or are these ideas that have been independently created and disseminated throughout the US's sphere of thought - ideas that just so happen to replicate Ubuntu thought?
as someone living in South Africa, I can tell you now that this is not just a theory amongst Africans, it is actually a way of life, it has been diluted with the arrival of non-africans as things gradually change but even the teachings of black cultures and traditions always promote ubuntu
I have no real knowledge of Ubuntu or of Native American philosophies, but maybe they share some similarities? Nhlanhla Ngcobo's explanation is probably more straightforward.
and if an apple is a bite,it’s a safari,we must keep ubuntu to our borders,a geo economical logic.
Smart people across the world randomly think of similar ideas.
It's probably both. Western thought beings with Greece and the Greeks learned in Africa. It's possible to forget where you learned something, yet build on it. I can say one thing though: African philosophy was being engaged long before European literacy came online in the 8th century bc
does anyone else find the term ethnophilosophy problematic?
Why would it be problematic? Ethnophilosophy is the process codifying an ethnic group's cultural beliefs into an explicit philosophy.
Not at all. Why should anyone have a problem with a research term?
@@CarneadesOfCyrene I guess the issue is what about the philosophy we have been learning so far? Why hasn't that been consider ethnophilosophy? Considering all of western thought is literally based on European thinkers only. Why is it considered ethnophilosophy and not just philosophy?
Excellent point 💯 it seems rather contradictory to single out other Non-European groups as ethno philosophical rather than include Europe's own ethnic groups as their own ethno philosophies. @@_VISION.
An african child said : If it s not good for all uf us, it s not good !
We should learn from this child. The white society is far behind, as an Elbow Society.
I have a question. In Ubuntu philosophy is there freedom or individual rights? Or are people forced to help on another. Basically what I'm asking is this. Is Ubuntu a community philosophy or a communal philosophy?
An interesting question. As noted, there are many different definitions of Ubuntu. I doubt many would say that there is no place for individual rights, or some amount of individual freedom, that said, I expect many would be supportive of the idea that you have moral responsibilities towards a community. Being a person through other people can often be interpreted as a responsibility towards one's own community, something similar to at least civic nationalism (ruclips.net/video/0cam6HaoFaQ/видео.html).
Ubuntu in eastern bantu language (Swahili) is “utu” with the same meaning “Humanity”
Injury to one is injury to all
There's a reason this video didn't go viral...
Your exploration of Ubuntu is interesting, although you stated at the beginning of the series that you don't intend to be exhaustive. I would suggest a couple of things: first, looking at the etymology of the term UBuntu so as to nuance it's philosophical thrust. Additionally, closely intertwined with uBuntu is Hunhu/Unhu philosophy, which potentially feeds into the dynamic nature of uBuntu philosophy and vice-versa.
Unhu is just a Shona translation of Ubuntu. What so you mean?
It takes a village to raise a child
Maxwell is Here
I AM because YOU are...
Having been born & grown up in Southern & Northern Rhodesia, I can honestly say that as a tiny "picanin" I experienced the most wonderful caring & nurturing attitude of the indigeny...Shona, Swahili, Ndabele, Zambians, Mozambicans, et al...
SO wish I'd learnt the language - my dad & brother did but it was more fanagalo than pure...
Oh but the marvelous memories as a child... halcyon days of fun in the best part of Africa ...
What do you call rhodesia you racist ??? There is no country in Africa named rhodesia.
So if I live alone on a desert island, I am no longer me? I am not defined by those around me for me, but I am for them. Seems like confusion.
@@eaterjolly All humans are animals, but if I move to a desert island, I don't become more of an animal. I may well become a bit less of one.
@@eaterjolly After more thought on this, the first important fact is that no human can exist without parents. So this is a "dependency" of the sort mentioned here. Further, yes, during childhood, the social aspect is important, at least with parents and extended family, and optionally on a wider basis. My point is that this should not be taken too far, with thoughts like, "it takes a village to raise a child". Or the implication that as an adult you need to be around other people, or rely on them, to be human. So I grant that you cannot be human without other humans at first, individuality comes as part of growing up. At that point, choosing to collaborate can be very beneficial, but it is not required and there is no dependence that is necessary.
@@konberner170. when looking at the theory of Ubuntu, remember Africans lived in a somewhat communal society and family orientated, within a village everyone is regarded as being close to you and has an involvement in your growth and development as a person directly or indirectly. people teach other people how to live and be part of the society, the term of Ubuntu and it takes a village to raise a child, you can understand it better when you look at it in that it means, "we are all cogs of the same machine". your individuality is not taken away but you must understand at the same time that humans are essentially interconnected directly or indirectly to each other. A lone human will barely survive without other humans, just like a lion not part of the pride will barely make it alone
@@nhlanhlangcobo7770 I grew up in a large city in the US. I have now lived in a small village in Asia for many years. I agree that, given the realities of village life, especially in low technology settings, your point makes perfect sense. However, the fact that this philosophy is so contextual can be seen as a kind of weakness.
@@eaterjolly Quantity of personality? Doesn't seem coherent to me. I am not a person only through other people, I am also a person through myself. The set of perceptions of myself to other humans, plus the perceptions of myself, also doesn't exhaust perceptions of me, e.g. there are animals that also perceive me to start with. The tautology might be true: "the total of perceptions of me are the totality of perceptions of me as a person".
Ubuntu - Amazing Humane philosophy !
who else is here by mistake ? Thought this was about Ubuntu OS
Haha! That is great. While researching this video I got so many Ubuntu OS manuals, so the feeling is mutual. 😁
It would be interesting to see relations betwen this ubuntu and contratualism
I think the difference is ontological. Contractualism is still based on individuals and their contractual relation with the collective. Ubuntu doesn't see such a strong distinction _between_ the individual and the collective. The grounding of which is the primary unit is different. For contractualism, it's the individual. For ubuntu, it's the group.
I would say it's related to Marxism
Introversion works for me.
80% explained here is wrong and is presented in the colonial point of view and is miss lending information for students. please use the right books to explain this. Thank You
What do you think is incorrect here? As the video notes, there is disagreement as to the exact meaning of this position, but the central points I present here track with every major philosophical source on the topic.
Here's The Oxford Encyclopedia Of African Thought: "Ubuntu is a southern Bantu word meaning "humanity or humanness...The concept is linked with an oft-cited Zulu-Xhosa aphorism, umntu ngumntu ngabantu- "A person is a person through other people"...South Africa's successful transition to a democratic state, including the process of reconciliation epitomized by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been attributed to ubuntu..." Edited by F. Abiola Irele and Biodun Jeyifo
Here's the SEP: "A crucial factor conditioning the transformation has been the soul-wrenching work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which sponsored public hearings during which victims of the evils of apartheid, and perpetrators of the evils, disclosed the truths of their suffering and of their dehumanizing aggression, respectively. Grounding premises of the TRC project were that disclosures of the truths of suffering and of abuse were necessary in order to achieve restorative justice, not just compensatory or retributive justice; and that restorative justice is in keeping with philosophical notions such as ubuntu-love, generosity, forgiveness-that are foundational to communal life at its best, thus are essential to the rehabilitative healing that must be lived through in forging new persons for a new and democratic South Africa" by Lucius Outlaw
Here's A Companion to African Philosophy (Blackwell) "Ubuntu in this sense expresses an understanding - a societal bond - and forms the basis for consensus. Fundamental to African political philosophy and ontology is the view that an individual is not a human being except as he or she constitutes part of a social order. The is a conception of the self as intrincially linked to and forming a part of, the community. In the communal orientation the self is dependent on other selves and is definited through its relationships to other selves. This dependency is epitomized by the expression: "Motho ke motho ka batho ba bang" (Sotho) or "umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu (Xhosa, Zulu) meaning, respectively "a person is a person through other persones," "I am because we are." by Mabogo P. More, Edited by Kwasi Wiredu.
I think you very much have not understood this philosophy
I will give you this version of ontological argument.
1 MGB is not logical incoherrent
2 If MGB is logical then MGB exists in every possible world
3 If MGB exists in every possible world then he exist in the actuall world
4 if MGB exists in the actuall wold then MGB exist
5 God exist.
Incorporate this in your mastermind H
Thank you Sir 😁
Ubuntu...Winblows
I have a question If you are a skeptic of logic and reality. Why are you a philosopher?
Makes good sense. Wisdom, no Matter where on the Planet!
2020 Only way
It doesn't feel right hearing a white person explain this.
I think that might be racist, no? Or do you also think that it doesn't sound right for a black English person to sing the national anthem, or an Indian to practice Kung Fu? Should I stop eating Dim Sum and stop Chinese people eating McDonalds?
You HAVE TO LEARN how to maximize/compress/red line/normalize your audio.
You are putting your time into videos NO ONE will watch because they're hard to hear.
The software is free or cheap. :)
So sociopaths aren't human.
As I understood it, you don't have to care about your environment in order for them to make you who you are. They still have an effect on you even if you have no empathy.